What’s the Best Portable Power Station For Tailgating?
Tailgating parties are a social tradition in the US. A study showed that 80% of Americans tailgate at least once every year.
There is simply nothing better than sharing some beers and a barbecue with friends or fans gathered near a sports event or other venue.
Of course, every good tailgate party needs some power to run appliances like a portable fridge, TV/beamer, electric grill, some lights…
Traditionally, a gas generator would do the trick in the past. But they are often noisy which can be a bit of a vibe killer.
Portable power stations are the perfect clean and noise free alternative for a good tailgate experience.
But with so many options on today’s market, what is the best portable power station for tailgating?
We’ve tested many portable power stations and selected the best models for tailgating available today.
Since you will probably be running several appliances at the same time for a couple of hours, we recommend models in the higher mid range in terms of battery capacity and power.
We won’t recommend models with a capacity below 1000Wh for tailgating.
Yet, portability is also an important factor to consider.
Based on these criteria we’ve selected the best portable power stations for tailgating.
Read our other Portable Power Station Reviews or learn what the TOP performers are for different occasions: TOP 10 BEST Portable Power Stations, BEST Portable Power Stations for Camping, BEST Portable Power Stations for Power Outage, BEST Portable Power Station under $200, BEST Portable Power Station for Refrigerator.
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What is a portable power station?
A portable power station is a battery with an inverter that can power appliances. They can often be recharged by solar panels as well.
This makes them very useful in several occasions.
Depending on the model and specs it can run several appliances at the same time and even heavy appliances.
Top 3 Best Portable Power Stations For Home Use
- ZERO BREEZE ElecHive 2200 (2500Wh)
- BioLite BaseCharge 1500+ (1500Wh)
- Bluetti AC180 (1152Wh)
1. TOP PICK: ZERO BREEZE ElecHive 2200 (2500Wh)
ZERO BREEZE ElecHive 2200 Review score: 4,5/5 stars
Our POG experts chose the ZERO BREEZE ElecHive 2200 as the best portable power station for tailgating because of its unique compact size, light weight but still powerful performance.
Best DealBattery Capacity and Power
The battery capacity of 2500Wh gives sufficient energy for off grid adventures.
The most extraordinary is that these 2500Wh are packed in a power station that weighs 40 lbs and has a size of 12,9 x 9,6 x 11,3 in.
That is 20% smaller than it’s competitors and 30% lighter.
The 2500Wh capacity paired with the built in battery management system (BMS) ensures that even sensitive electronics (like computers, medical devices, and audio equipment) receive clean, stable power, without fluctuations that could damage them.
It’s capable of powering appliances up to 2200W and even a whopping 4400W in surge. So you can charge or power a wide range of appliances like a fridge, TV, phones, computer, electric grill, etc…
This makes it ideal for tailgate parties since it
Charging Time
There are 3 ways to charge the ElecHive: 1250W or 600W wall charger, solar charger or car charger.
With the 1250W fast charge cable it only takes about 2-2,5 hours to fully recharge the battery to 100%.
Weight and Portability
The size, weight and portability of the ElecHive is exceptional given the fact that this is a 2500Wh power station.
That’s because of the NMC battery that is used in the ElecHive 2200.
It takes not that much space in the trunk, yet it has the capacity to power several devices for tailgate parties simultaneously.
It is also very convenient to move it around at the party.
This is a huge plus.
Durability
The NMC battery offers long-lasting energy support with up to 2,300 charge cycles while maintaining 80% battery health.
This equals power for a lot of tailgate parties for many years to come.
Read the full ZERO BREEZE ElecHive 2200.
2. RUNNER UP: BIOLITE BaseCharge 1500+ (1500Wh)
BioLite BaseCharge 1500+ Review score: 3.5/5 stars
With a battery capacity of 1500Wh, different outlet options and a light weight, the BioLite BaseCharge 1500+ is the perfect partner for tailgating.
Best DealBattery Capacity and Power
The BioLite BaseCharge 1500+ is also a forerunner in terms of combining a relatively large battery capacity, compact size and light weight.
It’s no coincidence that the BaseCharge is also equipped with an NMC battery just like the ElecHive 2200.
However, it has some lower performance features compared to the ElecHive, our experts from POG pointed out this power station as the perfect runner up in our “best portable power station for tailgate” list.
It has a capacity of 1500Wh and can power devices up to 1200W in total (2400W surge).
This means that you can run several appliances simultaneously for many hours as well.
Charging Time
Using both the wall charger and USB-C PD can charge the BaseCharge to 80% in just 2.5 hours.
When you only use the AC wall charger it will take about 3 hours.
Weight and Portability
The BaseCharge only weighs 26.5 lbs which is extremely helpful if you want to take it in and out of the trunk for instance.
You can just move it around and put it at the ideal central spot to charge your appliances at the tailgate party.
Durability
The NMC battery offers 1000 cycles until capacity drops to 80%. That’s more than half of the battery life on the ElecHive.
Still, 1000 cycles are a lot of tailgate events in the future.
Read the full BioLite BaseCharge 1500+ Review.
3. BEST VALUE: Bluetti AC180 (1152Wh)
Review Score: 3.8/5 Stars
If your budget is limited then the Bluetti AC180 is the perfect choice to power your tailgate parties.
Best Price Available on AmazonBattery Capacity and Power
The Bluetti AC180 has the least battery capacity and power capabilities in our “best portable power station for tailgating” list.
Yet, it is a very popular portable power station on the market today.
That is because it offers quite some solid features for an exceptional good price. In other words, the price value ratio is excellent for this power station.
It has a capacity of 1152Wh and can power devices of 1800W in total.
Charging Time
The Bluetti AC180 charges quickly. Especially for a portable power station in its class.
Using an AC outlet, the unit can recharge from 0% to full in approximately 1.3 to 1.8 hours. This is thanks to its high 1440W input.
Via solar charging it supports up to 500W input, achieving a full charge in around 2.8 to 3.3 hours under ideal sunlight.
When using a car outlet the charging time extends, with around 12 hours on 12V and 6 to 7 hours on 24V.
This flexibility in charging options makes it ideal for both quick recharges and off-grid use.
Weight and Portability
The weight and protability is also quite good. The Bluetti AC180 only weighs 35.27 lbs.
This makes it still very portable and stackable in the back of your truck.
Durability
The AC180 uses a different kind of battery: LFP (LiFePo4). In general, these batteries are a bit heavier and larger compared to NMC batteries.
However, they provide the longest battery life cycle.
The AC180 will keep 80% of its max capacity only after 3500 cycles.
Read the full Bluetti AC180 Max Review.
Discover our TOP 10 Best Portable Power Stations.
How we test
Our POG experts have test portable power stations using a protocol that includes several important factors. These factors help us evaluate the quality and performance of the power stations, and enable us to compare different models. Our product tests are either done in the “lab” or in the field to gain real life user experience. Here’s what we do for instance:
- Battery Capacity: We fully charge the power station and then discharged it by running various appliances to determine how long it lasts. This enabled us to measure the battery capacity and how long the power station can last on a single charge.
- Power Output: During our moderate and heavy load tests we connect various appliances to the power station and measured the power output. This helped us determine how much power the station can deliver to devices.
- Charging Time: We connect the power station to various charging sources, such as wall outlets and solar panels, and measured the time it takes to fully charge. This helps us determine the charging time of the power station.
- Weight and Portability: We carry the power station for a period and evaluated how easy it is to transport. This helped us determine the weight and portability of the power station.
By following our testing protocols we are able to evaluate and compare different portable power stations, and choose the best ones that suited for different needs.
Discover all our portable power station reviews.
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